[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 91 (Friday, July 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO THE U.S. COAST GUARD STATION CHARLEVOIX ON ITS 100TH 
               ANNIVERSARY AS A SEARCH AND RESCUE STATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 13, 2000

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the many 
members of the U.S. Coast Guard who served for the past 100 years in 
the essential duty of Search and Rescue at Coast Guard Station 
Charlevoix.
  Search and Rescue has been one of the United States Coast Guard's 
oldest missions. Like many of man's endeavors, Search and Rescue has 
evolved. Once--and we can all conjure the picture in our heads, Mr. 
Speaker--search and rescue often involved sending rescuers into the maw 
of an angry sea. It was an enterprise that required an intuitive 
understanding of nature, great physical strength, and reserves of 
energy.
  Today the intellect of inventors has sought to expand man's ability 
to undertake a rescue. As the bestseller ``A Perfect Storm'' makes 
clear, however, new generations of technology for locating those in 
distress or bringing rescuers to the a vessel in trouble must still 
face the elemental forces that can overwhelm our most advanced 
hardware.
  The success of this book--and the new movie based on the book--is 
certain to make clear that any who ventures on the water, even the most 
experienced mariner, can be caught unaware by the sudden fury of an 
unexpected storm.
  What was true for the North Atlantic in the story is true in many 
ways for the Great Lakes--the storms may not be as massive, but they 
can arise suddenly with strong winds. Shoals and islands present 
hazards for commercial shipping and private sailors, and tales like the 
loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald are almost as well known as the story 
loss of the Titanic.
  What was true in the early days of search and rescue remains true 
today. The men and the women who venture forth on rescue missions must 
possess one key trait--courage.
  It's no wonder, then, Mr. Speaker, that the crew of U.S. Coast Guard 
Station Charlevoix have an important part in the great tradition of 
endeavoring to save the lives of men and women in peril on the water.
  Their own log records such remarkable moments as bringing 500 people 
safely to shore in 1906 from a vessel aground off the Lake Michigan 
shore, searching for the crew of a downed B-52 bomber in the 1970s, and 
even rushing ashore to treat individuals wounded in a celebration 
fireworks accident in 1997.
  The presence of the Coast Guard throughout my district is extremely 
important, Mr. Speaker. These brave men and women have my deepest 
respect and admiration, and strongest support in whatever is needed to 
permit them to fulfill this essential mission, to keep Search and 
Rescue units semper paratus--always ready.
  Technology may continue to change, but I trust another 100 years will 
find Coast Guard Station Charlevoix always ready to serve and assist on 
the Great Lakes.

                          ____________________